Tumblr is the most recent tech firm to grapple with automated flagging and takedowns which have gone haywire and raised the ire of customers.
In current days, Tumblr customers have complained their content material is being flagged as “mature,” even when that’s not the case. The downside has diminished the visibility of customers’ posts as a result of many individuals on the platform have configured their settings to cover mature content material by default.
According to quite a few posts from impacted Tumblr customers, posts have been falsely flagged regardless of not being sexual or violent, and these false takedowns have included every thing from cat GIFs to fandom content material to artwork and even an image of palms. Some suspect that AI-based automation may very well be in charge for the problems.
Similar accusations have plagued different social media platforms in current weeks. For occasion, Pinterest lastly admitted that an inner error led to its mass consumer bans. Meanwhile, Instagram this week declined to remark by itself bother with mass bans that customers mentioned have been given little protection or consideration exterior of on-line complaints on apps like X and Reddit.
In each circumstances, customers suspected that AI-based moderation was in charge, although Pinterest denied that was the case.
On Tumblr, the flagging challenge is tied to an replace to the Android app, the place the corporate mentioned it’s been experimenting with enhancements to its mature content material filtering methods. Specifically, it was testing out a brand new layer of moderation to Content Labels, the corporate instructed TechCrunch.
A spokesperson for Tumblr mentioned the experiments are persevering with and, primarily based on consumer suggestions, can be improved earlier than the modifications roll out to different platforms.
“As we work to make Tumblr a safer place for all customers, we intention to respect a various set of pursuits and content material preferences, which will be adjusted in settings. We view this as an ongoing course of as we proceed to fine-tune how we detect and handle mature content material,” a Tumblr spokesperson mentioned in an emailed assertion.
The firm additionally acknowledged the issue on its weblog, responding to a consumer’s query in regards to the falsely flagged posts. Here, Tumblr’s crew famous they have been conscious of the “incorrect classification points” and have been actively working to scale back them.
In addition, the put up defined that Tumblr’s enchantment course of was being up to date within the weeks forward to have the ability to deal with a better quantity of circumstances. (Tumblr didn’t reply to our questions in regards to the appeals course of’ deliberate modifications.)
Whether AI or different automation is in charge will not be clear, as Tumblr wouldn’t communicate particularly to the reason for the brand new points. However, the diminished staffing on the running a blog service has doubtless additionally performed a job.
Following its 2019 acquisition by WordPress.com maker Automattic, Tumblr has confronted layoffs as its employees was reassigned to different tasks on the father or mother firm. Last yr, Automattic introduced that Tumblr’s again finish would even be moved to WordPress to make administration simpler and stem its monetary losses.
